Loot, Employment, and Weenie Dogs

Firstly, the loot report from the past three days (so that I can put it all back in a bag and hide it from myself):

3 bottles water (not to be hidden)
1 peanut butter granola bar (already eaten during 5 hour college fair on a Sunday)
1 KitKat
1 Reese's peanut butter cup
1 sm. Baby Ruth candy bar
1 sm. Snicker (already eaten)
1 sm. Almond Joy candy bar
1 sm. Take5 candy bar
1 sm. box Junior Mints
1 packet Extra spearmint gum
1 Quaker Chewy Granola Bar (chocolate chip flavor)
1 snack pack Rice Krispie Treats
1 snack pack Zoo Animal Fruit Flavored Snacks
1 packet mini pretzels
1 snack pack Sour Patch Kids
1 sm. bag Welch's Fruit Snacks
1 pack snack crackers (Cheese Crackers with Peanut Butter -- you British people can all gasp and be appalled, but they are GOOD!)
1 pack BreathSavers mints
2 Twizzlers (ick)
1 bizarre robotic light that looks like a cell phone
1 highlighter marker that is shaped like a little person with fluff coming out the top as his hair
AND a Starbucks gift card (much the most sensible part of the loot)!

It is a good thing that I turned down a side road and went to an orchard yesterday and bought some fresh apples from a cute little lady at the end of a windy road up a hill outside Colora, Maryland. (Am not exactly sure how to pronounce this place name, but it seems unfortunate any way you try. And it makes you want to cough.)

Reason for being out in orchard country was after visit to West Nottingham Academy, which is also in the difficult-to-say town. It happens to be the oldest boarding school in the United States, and the counselor told me that should I decide to return to my hope to teach ESL, I should come and work there! I am pretty sure that his housing is provided free of charge, as he and his wife are house parents in one of the halls and he can see his house from his office window -- how cool would that be?! (she drums her fingers thoughtfully on chin)

Today, I visited some great schools in northern Baltimore (mostly 'outside the loop' -- am happy to be 'in the loop' with understanding geographical designations now), and my first visit was the most helpful and kind counselor (plus, he gave me the Starbucks card) -- this is a really great quality since one can sometimes feel like a social pariah, prob. similar to how pharmaceutical reps feel if they do not have reptilian skin over their emotions. He gave me contact and date information for some great fairs to hit the Independent Schools in the Spring, and this information is quite excellent since The British Council is a complete waste of membership and money.

At my third visit, a weenie dog named Princess did not really like my accent and attacked me three times (though not really to the Amrie-quavering-with-fear point, although she did successfully nip my hand once). Am not sure if it was my gesticulating or a pitch that I reached; anyhoo, then when leaving the counseling department, I said to the counselor and her secretary in an exaggerated Southern accent, 'Well, y'all just come on over and see us in England now...' at which point Princess came yapping and charging like a mad bull out of the back office and leapt at me as fiercely as a weenie dog can. It was all a bit too much and I am afraid that she was laughed at.

An interesting thing that I noticed today was that the fundraising 'thing' here is apparently a Bull Roast -- now, I have heard of a Pork Roast (in your local store), and a Hog Roast (Loosyanna), and a Hog Roast (Britain). So, do they put a massive spit up and roast the whole bovine at once? Or is it just a fancy name for a bar-be-que?

Now, it is time for my excursion to find sushi and to visit a fun girl I met yesterday in an Irish shop. She wanted to know about Irish people and kilts, so E the Expert On All Things Irish has been consulted. His information came straight from Wikipedia :) hahahaha But it was still informative.